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Parent Category: Retail Tips

The Advantages of Giving Retail Samples

Tip #371 - You Sample, You Sell

Dear Tip of the Weeker, 

There's nothing better than giving away free samples to get your customers to try, love, and buy whatever it is you have to sell. 

Sampling has long been a mainstay of the food industry (I know you love those people giving away samples of cakes, meatballs, sodas, dips, and breakfast bars in the grocery store on Saturday afternoons!) but you find sampling everywhere. Paint stores give tiny packets of paint so you can sample the colors at home.  iTunes lets you play 30 seconds from every song on an album before you download it. And clothing retailers even take away display space to provide for sampling - the dressing room.

Why so much sampling?  

You sample, you sell!

Here are two reasons why giving samples is such a powerful, positive tactic:

1. Sampling proves the value of a product. The customer doesn't just hear that the sour cherry jam tastes good, they experience the amazing taste themselves. They don't just read about how much fun a new board game is, they experience the fun themselves.The customer doesn't merely sit on a mattress in a showroom, they sleep on it for 30 days and experience the comfort for themselves.
2. Sampling takes away risk. By trying a sample, the customer knows for sure that they are going to like a product before they buy it.There's no waffling back and forth about whether the buying decision is a smart one. They have already road-tested the product and know they like it. Or, they know they don't like the product and are happy with their decision not to make the purchase. No wondering if they made the wrong decision by walking away.

Either way, it's great for you. 

You don't want customers to take home products they end up disliking as soon as they've tried them. You want long-term, deeply satisfied customers!

Are you giving free samples?

I challenge you to find ways to give samples of at least some of your products. You'll have happier customers and higher sales.

Wishing you great sales and lots of fun,

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